Spices in your cabinet

Japan
September 6, 2022 6:18pm CST
What spices do you have in your cabinet? How do you use them? I did not grow up using spices, so I only have salt, pepper, bay leaves, cinnamon, cloves, turmeric, and I always have fresh ginger in the refrigerator. I like hot spices like red peppers but they don't like me very much. I use bay leaves in soups, and also I put them in drawers to keep away cockroaches. Cinnamon I use all the time in my morning milk tea. I also put fresh grated ginger in my tea. I like the combination of cinnamon, cloves, turmeric, a bit of black pepper, and ginger in my milk tea. It's a great way to feel energized in the morning. I put cinnamon on things that are sweet. I use a lot of cinnamon. I use turmeric when I cook rice, because it's easy to put in and it makes the rice pretty. I've also heard it is anti-bacterial and viral, and that it helps stave off dementia, all good reasons to put it in my rice! Recently I bought fennel seeds because I read they are good for digestion, but other than chewing them after meals I have no idea what to do with them. I also bought oregano for health reasons. I really don't like it much and am not sure how to use it. Any suggestions?
8 people like this
8 responses
@RebeccasFarm (86772)
• United States
7 Sep 22
First of all garlic and ginger fresh. And like you, most of my spices match yours.
2 people like this
• United States
8 Sep 22
1 person likes this
• Japan
8 Sep 22
Hooray for us!
2 people like this
@porwest (78759)
• United States
7 Sep 22
Oregano is something I used to use more, and pretty much for everything. But it is a staple ingredient for sure in spaghetti sauce along with Italian, and I always have both of these in the cupboard. I use a lot of curry powder and use it on chicken and pork mostly. I use Adobo seasoning and use that on meat, in veggie dishes, and on fried potatoes. Garlic powder and onion powder are must haves and get used almost every time I cook something. What spice and how I use it depends on the cuisine I am going after, to change up flavor profiles and so on and so forth. Variety is the spice of life is true and so my cupboard is overflowing with seasoning combinations and individual herbs and spices.
1 person likes this
• Japan
8 Sep 22
You're very creative with those spices!
2 people like this
@porwest (78759)
• United States
9 Sep 22
@petatonicsca Someone once said, "Cooking is not about recipes. It's about ideas." But I have no idea who said it. lol
• United States
6 Sep 22
I have salt, black pepper, cinnamon, powdered garlic, I think powdered onion, Mrs. Dash, and chili powder (I think). I like to put a couple of dashes of cinnamon in chili soup. Just enough that you can taste a hint of it.
1 person likes this
• Japan
8 Sep 22
I love the "I think." I'm not always sure what's in there either. I like chili powder but it always gets old before I think to use it.
2 people like this
@RasmaSandra (73538)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
7 Sep 22
I do not have much right now, Just salt and black pepper, When I can I order seasoned salt,
1 person likes this
• Japan
8 Sep 22
I have found I don't like seasoned salt. I think I don't like the hint of celery and the MSG when it has some.
2 people like this
@JudyEv (325966)
• Rockingham, Australia
7 Sep 22
we didn't grow up using many spices either. We have most of the ones you have. We make a strawberry salad that has sesame seeds and poppy seeds in it so we have them and we often grow basil and parsley but of course they're not spices.
1 person likes this
• Japan
8 Sep 22
I use sesame seeds and chia seeds a lot.
2 people like this
@Beestring (13336)
• Hong Kong
7 Sep 22
I have salt, sugar, pepper, garlic, soya sauce in the cabinet. Like you, fresh ginger in the refrigerator.
1 person likes this
• Japan
8 Sep 22
Oh, of course, sugar and soy sauce are in my kitchen too.
2 people like this
• United States
20 Sep 22
Honestly I have a ton of spices but prefer everything fresh when possible
@popciclecold (35185)
• United States
6 Sep 22
I rarely use Oregano only in my spaghetti sauce. I didn't know bay leaves were good for keeping roaches at bay, go figure.
• Japan
8 Sep 22
Bay those roaches, so to speak.
1 person likes this
• United States
9 Sep 22
@petatonicsca Thanks for sharing.